Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Marseille-focus next weekend begins on Friday night with a special edition of Thalassa on France 3. Called Marseille plus belle la mer, it’s the first in a series of programmes celebrating Thalassa’s 40 year run. It is one of France’s oldest TV programmes. Starting at …

By David Taylor Last week we had a great day in Marseille, the city has improved so much over the last few years and is worthy of at least one day if not two. Naturally being by the sea the harbour is a highlight, surrounded by restaurants where you can …

The Debate One of the favourite pastimes of the Aixois is fervently discussing the town’s many qualities. They cite the climate, culture and architecture; rave about the shopping and surrounding countryside; and compare notes on their favourite Luberon village, Mediterranean beach, local wine and restaurant. When we first moved here, …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Starting with Marseille shops, the opening of Les Docks has been announced: 10th October. This is the long line of historical docks buildings that are opposite the new Terrasses du Port shopping centre. It’s taken 30 months to renovate the buildings and also excavate down …

Joining the petits-trains services up to Notre-Dame de la Garde (1) and the Panier and MUCEM (2) is a new circuit which takes visitors around the Ile de Frioul (3). The petit-train picks people up from the ferry landing and does a tour of the island. Great idea …Continue reading …

By aixcentric What a great idea – 640 tonnes of sand to be dumped on the MUCEM esplanade to make a big beach for the summer. It will be open all day for walks, picnics at shaded tables, pétanque games, Ping-Pong and, on Sundays, dances. There will also be workshops …

By aixcentric If you fancy giving your painting skills a boost, I can recommend from personal experience the Atelier Ombres et Lumieres in Les Milles. Owner and artist Muriel Moutel will be teaching one-week courses during July, for adults and ados. Muriel encourages her classes to start with interesting backgrounds …

By aixcentric Are artists visionaries? How did they see the future 100 years ago? How do they see the future today? These are the questions posed by FUTURS the new expo at Marseille’s Vieille Charité which opened on Friday. There are a hundred works grouped chronologically by Léger, Ernst, Matisse, …

The Musee des Beaux Arts at Marseille’s Palais Longchamp is the venue for two sets of art classes this summer. Watercolour lessons are on July 8-10th and 15-17th while instruction in charcoal drawing takes place on August 12-14th and 19-21st. 18€ per 3 days. Click here for Explore this Post

Who is Alfred Lombard? I wondered as I visited the Musée Regards de Provence in Marseille this week. It’s a special experience here in the south of France to discover painters, often local, mainly little-known, who turns out to be quite thrilling. And Alfred Lombard is one such. He had …